Information Systems & Technology, Associate of Science

The Information Systems & Technology Associate of Science degree prepares students for transfer into bachelor’s degree programs at four-year colleges and universities. The area of information systems, under the headings of Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT), has become critical to the operation of many organizations. The field has evolved from a cost center to one where IS and IT operations are providing strategic value to corporations. The knowledge required to be effective in this field has also grown. IS and IT staff must understand not only how computers operate, but also how they can be effectively networked together. The use of internet technologies has become pervasive and database management has also become an integral function. The Information Systems & Technology Associate of Science degree is designed to provide students who intend to transfer to four-year institutions with a strong and broad background in the area of IS and IT. Key courses are provided in the area of web development, networking, and database development. In addition, the program develops strong programming skills in a programming language of the student’s choice.

Graduates are able to:

solve IS and IT problems within the context of business systems
communicate effectively within an organization
work productively in team and individual settings
assess the ethical implications of work performed
demonstrate knowledge of evolving technology

Raritan Valley Community College Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are designed to comply with the New Jersey Community Colleges General Education Foundation which supports transfer of courses to NJ Public four-year colleges and universities. Students who intend to transfer to a NJ college or university can further improve the transfer of courses by using the Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature in NJTransfer.org.

Curriculum – A.S. Degree

First Semester

ENGL 111 - English Composition I 3 Credits
MATH 112 - Precalculus I 3 Credits ¹
NTWK 113 - Desktop Computer Hardware & Software 3 Credits
Social Science 3 Credits ²
Humanities 3 Credits ²

Second Semester

ENGL 112 - English Composition II 3 Credits
MATH 113 - Precalculus II 3 Credits ¹
NTWK 119 - Networking Essentials 3 Credits
IDMX 225 - Web Page Development I 3 Credits
Humanities or Social Science 3 Credits ²

Third Semester

MATH 151 - Calculus I 4 Credits
CSIT 105 - Foundations of Computer Science 4 Credits
CSIT 132 - Systems Analysis & Design 3 Credits
Lab Science 4 Credits ³

Fourth Semester

MATH 110 - Statistics I 3 Credits
CSIT 254 - Data Structures 4 Credits
CSIT 285 - Database Development & Design 3 Credits
Computer Science Elective 3 Credits ⁴
Free Elective 2 Credits ⁵

Total Credits 60

¹ Mathematics by official placement. Students who place directly into MATH 151 Calculus I should take MATH 152 Calculus II and a second Lab Science in place of MATH 112 Precalculus I and MATH 113 Precalculus II . Students who replace MATH 112 Precalculus I and MATH 113 Precalculus II with at least 8 credits of Mathematics and Science do not need to take a Free Elective.

² Select a course from the appropriate category of the General Education list.

³ Select a course from the appropriate category of the General Education list. Some four-year institutions require a two-semester sequence of a Lab Science (e.g. CHEM 103 General Chemistry I and CHEM 104 General Chemistry II or PHYS 101 General Physics I and PHYS 102 General Physics II ).

⁴ Select from the following courses: CSIT 200 Python Programming , CSIT 238 C Programming , CSIT 249 Java , or GDEV 242 Object Oriented Programming . Check with your intended transfer institution for transferability.

⁵ Any college-level course except COMP 102 Computer Literacy or CSIT 103 Computer Concepts and Programming .